


Colorful Fire

by DestielAndMagic



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Crap Humor, Fluff and Smut, Fourth of July, Grace Powers, Holiday, M/M, Mary Ships It, My First Work in This Fandom, Oneshot, Sam Ships It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 05:25:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestielAndMagic/pseuds/DestielAndMagic
Summary: A fun care free fourth of July leads to the best family time the Winchesters have ever had. And a little more than family shows up between Cas and Dean....





	Colorful Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I might make this a series with all of the Holidays (We all know I'm going to). I'm thinking Halloween, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, and maybe the Superbowl. (I'm not doing Valentines Day, that holiday is bullshit.)  
> Just where the story is lined off is where the smut starts. If you don't want to read it, then just skip to the other page break.

“C'mon, Cas, lighten up. It’s gonna be awesome.” Dean cheered, hauling the box out of the trunk. They've been having this conversation for a while now, Dean trying to explain the fun and reason behind fireworks ever since they drove up to that TNT trailer. So far, he wasn't catching on. “I still don’t understand why it’s entertaining to look at a series of explosions in the air.” Cas replied dryly before Dean rolled his eyes, gingerly setting the box down on the garage floor. He couldn’t help but marvel at the bright artillery boxes and the neon fountains that Sam suggested on getting. As their first Fourth of July all together, they wanted it to be big. And, boy, was it big.

“Help me get these out of the trunk?” Dean grunted, heaving another box filled with gunpowder, containing his excitement. Cas complied grabbing the two largest boxes from under his arms, looking to Dean.

“Where are we taking these?” Cas asked gravely in his usual deep, growling tone. The voice that Dean had come accustomed to. It was one of a kind and belonged to Cas. “For now, just put them in the War Room until we can get them up on the roof to light 'em off. First we gotta put up the warding.” Dean said, getting the last two boxes from the back with Cas now balancing three without a bit of effort. _Damn show off_ , Dean thought.

“Why do we need warding?” Cas asked, now concerned. Dean caught on to his train of thought and shook his head with a laugh to brush off his worries. Cas was like a second mom sometimes.

“Not that kind of warding, bud. We just need to make sure no one else can see the show. You know, keep our heads down.” Dean reassured, watching Cas’ face fall back to ease. The two finally got all the fireworks stacked on the War Room table before Sam and Mary came back from the archives with a file, their clothes coated in a thin layer of dust from moving all of the books and boxes for the past four hours or so.

“Bingo!” Dean said with a dumbfounded grin as Sam handed him the spell. Knowing Dean was too hyped to really care about reading it, he explained the procedure.

“This will basically make a barrier of the bunker where no one else outside it can see or hear anything we’re doing.” Sam said almost professionally, if not for his lightened tone, eyeing the fireworks galore. It's been a long time since Sam had seen Dean happy, let alone himself. This was more fireworks than the year they snuck out while Dad was on a hunt and practically raided a firework shop. This was more than he thought legal, and there was a good to fair chance that it wasn't.

Mary saw Cas smiling to himself at how Dean's eyes lit up looking at the mountain of bombs and other fun fire. It was a smile of contentment at her son's happiness. He was happy from seeing Dean's joy. Ever since Mary came back to the bunker and saw those two hug, she saw something there, but apparently she was the only one. Except Sam, who's hinted about the tension or joked annoyed at their little games. They were hoping they'd figure it out on their own but as time went on it seemed less and less likely. But the look on Castiel's face at that moment radiated his love for her son. _That's it, I'm taking charge_ , Mary told herself.

“Cas, could you come help me outside? I need to finish the warding.” Mary smiled, patting Cas on the shoulder. He happily obliged and followed Mary outside, taking various odds and ends to work with. Soon enough, Cas found himself spreading a mix of rainwater, obsidian powder and Djinn blood across the perimeter. It was quite simple for such a powerful result. Mary had her mix bottle and was working her way around behind Castiel, patching up and reinforcing the field behind him.

“So, how are you, Castiel?” Mary asked out of the blue, filling the silence, as she knew that the silence wouldn't be broken if she didn't break it. Cas really thought about his answer, as he was prone to do. He didn’t like lying or giving dishonest answers when unnecessary, so he thought on truth. For some reason, Cas’ mind went to Dean. He was healthy, and alive. More than that, he was happy. He could see it. Sam was too. No one was actively destroying the world, with Lucifer in Crowley’s dungeon. His family was here, and safe. He felt at peace.

“I’m... Good.” Cas answered, now lost in his thoughts. He smiled to himself at how he found the Winchesters this morning, remembering how they woke up. Mary was coking bacon, eggs and toast as Sam and Dean were arguing about what AC/DC’s best song was, Dean throwing his hands up in frustration. They finally agreed to disagree, as they knew if they didn't they would never hear the end of it with them. They didn't say a word between their heaping forkfuls as they ate, not looking up from their plate as Mary smiled and shook her head at their lack of manners. She thought they might even forget to chew. Dean was covered in bacon grease when he was done with the breakfast race, even eating some of Sam’s bacon without him taking notice as he slid a few of his pieces onto his plate and into his mouth.

Cas almost chuckled at how Dean looked at him, dead in the eye and asked, “do I have something on my face?” smothered in jelly, toast crumbs and bacon grease. Mary rolled her eyes as Sam threw a spoon at him, now realizing his plate didn’t have everything on it. They eventually started to chase each other, Sam wrestling Dean onto the ground before Mary yelled at them saying there was more bacon, shaking her head and scoffing with a laugh.

Cas slipped so deep into memories that he forgot what he was doing.

“How are you with Dean?” Mary asked with a smirk, not even peering up to Castiel. His face flushed with a light red at her choice of words. He slowed himself down for a short second and came up with an answer. _I really am a faulty Angel._

“He’s like a brother, and I trust him with my life. And we haven’t attempted to murder each other and we are not frustrated with one another, so I think my friendship with Dean is well for the time being.” He replied in his deadpan tone as not to give any impressions, but Mary wasn't sold.

“Just a brother? Just a friend?” Mary dragged the question out, leaving Cas in a pending stillness. And, just like that, he felt nearly human stirring in his nerves. Cas never brought this up from his thoughts. He’d come to learn his feelings made Dean uncomfortable, and he’s made it clear that he wasn’t interested. So, Cas left it alone. It didn’t stop, of course, but he buried it to keep his friendship. And in doing so, mostly forgot them at times like this. But as usual, they would rise again. But Mary brought it up this time, and actually read into them, saw them.

“I know I haven’t been able to bond with my boys as they grew up, but I do know my son enough to know that he likes you.” Mary was now looking up to meet Castiel’s eyes, smiling suggestively. He faltered under her gaze, a light blush rising on his face that he couldn’t for the life of him hide.

“I don’t think Dean sees it that way....” Cas started before Mary groaned in mocked frustration.

“Oh, come on. He really does like you. He just has his head so far up his ass he can’t see you.” Mary sighed, pouring the rest of the mix on the ground, closing the barrier. The line lit up with a deep, bright blue and purple as a bubble like dome formed around the roof, fading from view once it connected at the center. And with that, Mary was walking back inside, not checking behind her. Cas just stood there dumbfounded for a moment. _What... What just happened?_

This wasn't possible. Why would Mary think that Dean had that sort of emotional connection with him of all creation's options? As her son has told him more than one, he wasn't 'that kinda guy'. Cas didn't think he would take ANY sort of interest in any other non platonic relationships until he started to fall to humanity. Even if Mary was inclined of Castiel's feelings, it still didn't commune in his brain that he wasn't the only one in this situation with them.

He eventually shook himself from his head when he noticed Mary was halfway there, and headed along with her. It wasn’t possible. Cas had seen Dean with more women than he could count (well, he could, 39) and not once has he even laid eyes on a man and thought of taking them with him. Why would Cas be different? No, he wouldn’t be. He wasn’t even human. Even if he’d fallen and acted more human every day, it didn’t change who he was. He wasn’t who Dean wanted, and he had to move on from the petty thought.

Cas saw that Mary was already inside and picked up his pace, walking from his mind. He came back to see Sam with blankets under his arms, Dean with two cases of beer, and Mary grabbing a big yellow bag as they all stood in front of the doorway. They were all smiling and laughing together, Mary shaking her head at them from one of Dean's Chuck awful jokes. Cas kept his usual appearance upheld, but his thoughts were running farther and farther from his control. He cleared his throat, as that seemed to help. He then shook his head again, ‘stowed his crap’, and followed them to the roof, where Dean said the show would start.

Sam laid out the blankets with Mary as Dean was setting up the fireworks he hauled up on a piece of plywood he found behind the garage. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but Cas was able to spot the stars in the distance. He remembered when he was set to create them, along with the other planets in the distance and the clusters of late galaxies he’d been tasked to. He remembered all of them. Maybe someday, he could show the Winchesters.

It was a series of trips to and fro the bunker with shells, fountains, cannons, and finales being set at the top of the hill. Cas took care of most of the cargo, thanks to Angel strength, but the Winchesters took the other half of the supply with speed. They got the whole ensemble onto the roof in less than ten minutes. Dean took a moment to appreciate the stack of fire in all of its glory before stalking over to the yellow bag with the smaller explosives and toys.

“Okay, until it gets dark and we can put on the good stuff, we’ll have to stick to these.” Dean sighed, pulling out three boxes of sparklers, pouting towards Sam, who’d bought them while Dean was looking at the ‘big guns’, as he called them. Cas could tell that he wasn’t amused or impressed with the small rods, but Sam seemed happy to have them.

“C’mon, Dean, they’re not that boring. Plus, I got the big ones.” Sam said, defending his opinion, but he couldn't escape Dean's wrathful comeback.

“No matter how big they are, they’re still twiddle dee fairy sticks. And you know it.” Dean chuckled, amused at how fast Sam’s counter fell. He knew it was no use, but he tried anyway. Sam punched him in the arm and grabbed a box. He split half and half with Mary, who also gave him a light to spark them up. Sam lit his all at once, as his usual, and swirled them through the air, twirling them in Dean’s face. Dean shoved him and Sam shoved him back, running in retreat or a temptation, or both. Dean didn’t bide in, but instead walked up to Cas and slid a sparkler out of the box, brandishing it in his face.

“Here.” He said, swinging it around like bait. Cas took it haphazardly, holding it still without knowledge of intention. He looked to Mary lighting hers and sticking it up in the air and started to catch on to the idea. Dean nodded towards the rod, ebbing him onward.

“You light it and spin it around.” Dean explained, now getting out five of his own, like his brother. He flicked his lighter up to the sparklers and set them ablaze, watching the sparks fly and snap. He offered the light to Castiel, but he didn’t notice as he pointed his finger towards the tip and watched it burn into a golden fire. He waved it around a bit and smiled, watching the whirl of light that trailed behind the stick wherever it went. It was more entertaining than he expected it to be. The whole experience and feeling of it made him grin as he spun it around, watching the flaming stars fly in the air. He... was suddenly immersed in the whole sensation of it. It was exhilarating and calming all at once. It sort of took over as he let the feeling free, and his mind flow. He angled the sparkler towards his hand and made the vivid, bright kindles rest in his hand, reflecting off his ocean eyes. He waved his hand across the sky and raised it up in the air, making it rest in the sky.

Cas closed his eyes to watch the thoughts go by. He finally found one that he took a liking to, and out sparked a deer, made from the fires of the sparkler. It jumped and kicked to the command of Cas’ hand, and now, the wave of his sparkler. It frolicked and danced, Cas remembering the first time he laid eyes on the first creature of their kind. He remembered when Heaven sent him to watch over them, to observe behaviors and report back. But he found himself sticking around for just a tad longer than he should've. He was fascinated by them. How they mingled, bonded, and lived. It was amazing. It was beautiful. None of the other Angels took as much notice as Castiel.

Sam and Mary both stopped in their tracks now, watching wide eyed at Castiel’s creation. It morphed from a deer, to a galloping horse to a roaring and roaming tiger, to an energetic otter, swimming around to dolphins leaping in the water. It went from a large rainbow parakeet, to a herd of waddling penguins and lastly, them. It was Sam, Mary, Dean and Cas’ running and laughing from a memory of them "settling" a bet that Dean and Mary made. And then it was gone.

All three Winchesters stood behind Cas in shock and awe, eyes still fixed on the sky where his creations played. It was quiet and still without the snap of the kindles from the sparklers or the calls of the animals. Cas finally turned around to find the Winchester’s mouths agape. They didn’t speak, they didn’t move, and Dean forgot to breathe.

“What the hell was that?!” Sam yelled, still dazed. Cas turned to Dean and smiled.

“I think I’m starting to get it.” Cas beamed like a little kid. "Let's light another one!" He now yelled, looking back to Dean with enthusiasm. They all just ogled at Castiel for a good long moment as Sam huffed out in surprise. Sam and Mary started to laugh, not having another reaction. They chuckled all the way back to get some beer, and Dean… Dean wasn’t moving. Cas tilted his head like a puppy dog at him as his classic Castiel move, making Dean’s breath catch. Cas said his name, but Dean didn’t respond until he repeated himself louder.

“Dean.” Cas said again, clapping his hand on Dean’s shoulder while boring his azure eyes into his core. It almost made him shiver. Almost. He looked to Cas, his green meeting with his blue. Cas could stare for hours and never get tired of what he saw, and the same goes for Dean (not that he’d admit). There was that tingling again. That weird bubble of emotions that neither of them could pop or dared to try. It didn’t last more than a few seconds before Dean cleared his throat and went over to set up the fireworks now that the sky went dark. Only the stars lit his way, and only the stars could see how the universe reflected off Cas’ eyes with Dean. Cas then came to sit on the blanket fortress along with the other Winchesters, Mary raising her eyebrow in an ‘I told you so’ gesture.

 _What the hell was that?_ Dean snapped at himself. He was a man, god dammit. And men like him liked women, human women and taking control. Why was he like this? But what always came with his stubborn voice, there was the softer part of his mind. _Why does it matter? He’s good, that’s the point. You’re still you, you’re still you..._ Dean shook his head and marred over those thoughts again to keep them down for the rest of the day and got out his lighter, burning the voices.

The walk towards the cannons was calming, setting Dean's thoughts more in order. He wanted Cas to light a firework today, but he had to do this one alone. Besides, this wasn't one of the best ones. This was just supposed to give him an idea. Cas could light one of the cooler ones. He flicked the switch and waited until he heard the spark of the fuse and booked it back to their set up as fast as his feet would take him. He plopped down in the front and watched the canister shoot up in the air and explode into red, purple, and golden balls.

Everything he was thinking about in the last minute burned away by the kindles sizzling into color and the booms of the canisters. Cas watched the shells ignite, and he felt the gunpowder heat in the air as it blew into something completely different. Once again, he enjoyed it more than he thought he would. He’s seen things that the Winchesters couldn’t begin to process over millenniums, but even something this simple yet this powerful made his eyes widen. Once all the bits and pieces of the shells and gunpowder drifted to the ground in the still night, Sam, Dean, and Mary all shouted and threw their fists up in the air as a sort of huzzah. Cas didn't quite understand it, but he smiled at the notion as Dean chuckled to himself with a self smug grin no his face.

“That’s just the warm up. You guys are not gonna believe what else I got.” Dean pointed to them, all but bragging. Both still impressed, Sam and Mary both gave him props for it. His love for pyrotechnics isn’t something he’s shy about. It was more of a passion, if you asked Cas.

“Cas, you’re gonna light your first firework.” Dean said, grinning like an idiot. Cas had no reason or intention to refuse, so he followed Dean to where he kept the pile of explosives. He grabbed two cannons and a vivid box that said ‘WHIRL WIND’ in messy letters. Cas couldn’t help but grin at the way Dean’s eyes lit up at the sight of them. And if Cas was being honest (which he was undoubtedly at the moment), he felt himself getting excited to see more. Dean loaded the cannons and pulled out all the fuses, now squatting next to them. He waved Cas over from where he was observing the mountain of gunpowder and followed suit. Dean fumbled in his pocket for a moment before pulling out his trusty gasoline ignite, looking at Cas.

“When I count to three, I'm gonna light these two, and you light the other two on your side. Then, we run like hell. Got it?” Dean smirked, laughing at himself internally for setting up a game plan. Cas wasn’t an idiot, this was self-explanatory. Then again, Cas wasn’t the best at catching on to these kinds of things. Either way, Cas seemed to be enjoying this as he nodded, sharing Dean’s expression.

“Okay. One, two, THREE!” Dean lit up both of his fuses to see that Cas had both of his shrinking to the heat eating at the length. Grace beats fire, apperently. He rushed to light his and almost stumbled when he finally saw the green string turn to a bright, kindling orange.

“Go, go, go!” Dean yelled as his feet picked him up and sped him away as he caught up behind Cas, matching his pace. It was funny to see Cas run like this. Not from real danger or for something of infinite importance but smiling and sprinting from a ticking fun fuse ready to blow the fiery confetti. It was odd, to see a powerful Angel almost human like that.

They landed on the blanket just in time to see the rows shoot off, and this one was so much bigger and louder than the last one. There was every color from the rainbow outlined by silver and gold fountains. The rows would go back and forth, with booms, and crackles and cries of flyers. The whole forest was filled with the electric, blazing static of the fireworks where they sat in awe. It went on for a god two minutes before it died out, and the Earth and sky were still for a moment before they all cheered and roared, including Castiel. When Dean heard Cas shouting with them his world stopped for the smallest second. An Angel, that has seen pretty much everything past and present in their never-ending universe, was sitting on the roof of an abandoned bunker watching fireworks with three humans on Fourth of July.

“Let’s light another one!” Cas said eagerly, now getting up and running over to the rest of the fireworks. Sam shrugged at him and came along with Cas, bringing a lighter of his own. “You coming?” Mary said as she stood over Dean, offering a hand. Dean nodded dumbly and took her hand. He wasn’t gonna refuse his mother. Not just his mom, but a Winchester. That was a wrath he wanted to tangle with. Besides, this was going to be epic.

“You can’t be serious!” Sam laughed, eyebrows raised at Cas. He tilted his head and smiled, letting Sam know that he was deadly serious.

“Serious about what?” Dean stepped in, looking between Sam and Cas. Mary was walking up behind him, smirking. She probably heard them.

“Cas thinks we should do all of them. At once.” Sam shook his head, and Cas nodded.

“You kidding?” Dean asked, not sure if he was or not. Cas stitched his eyebrows together in mocked confusion.

“Why would you think I was being humorous?” He asked with the ghost of a smirk pulling at his lips and a snark that they never knew Cas could use. All three Winchesters stared at him for the second time of the night.

“Why not?” Dean said, throwing his hands up. Both Sam and Mary looked at him like he was sprouting another head. Dean shrugged at them, a grin spreading on his face. They both shrugged back and got their lighters.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, we have our intermission first.” Dean ticked, going back to get the big yellow bag from behind the hill of artillery shells. All three of them shared a puzzled expression until Dean pulled out two boxes with a mix of 300 fire crackers and snappers.

“You sneaky bastard.” Sam chuckled, taking a box. They both bowed their heads, challenging each other with their stares. Just like old times.

“Hope your hair doesn’t catch on fire.” Dean taunted first, as always.

“Hope I don’t set you and your precious leather on fire.” Sam shot back, both smiling. Dean took his box and put it in his pocket as Sam took a few steps back, mocking Dean with his arms crossed and his stance wide. He didn’t take the bait as he turned back to Cas and Mary, but he was getting antsy as Sam stared him down and flipping his Loreal locks in dissarray.

“Hey, you guys are wussing out. I got some for you guys, too.” He pointed to them, shaking the bag before he came up to them and handed each of them a box and dragging them in a huddle..

“Okay, so here are the rules. One, you can’t take extra boxes of ammo until you run out. Two, no alliances. Well, we never had that issue before, but with more people we can’t have teams. It takes out the fun. Last but not least, don’t be a wuss.” Dean said, patting their backs for a good luck token. 'Cause Lord, they'd need it with Sam and Dean.

“What do we do with these?” Cas asked holding up the red and yellow box. Again, he wasn't the best at catching on with these things.

“You light them and throw. My suggestion: aim ahead of them when they’re running. Works every time.” Dean explained, clapping Cas on the shoulder. He looked back up at Dean with a razor-sharp stare and a smirk that could turn him to stone, and it almost did. Well, mostly in one particular spot.... Now he’s getting it. Mary looked down at her ammunition and frowned. Yet another part of her boy’s lives she missed out on. Another thing she wasn’t there for. Dean saw her sorrow and gave her a one-armed hug to tell her that he forgave her and that they could start over. That was okay. She smiled back up at her son and nodded to him. He actually had an idea to cheer her up.

“You wanna throw the first shot?” Dean asked tenderly, pointing his chin to her pocket were the gunpowder was tightly wrapped and begging to be unleashed. She looked behind him to see Sam looking right back at her. He smiled and gave a wink, encouraging her to continue.

“That would be my pleasure, son.” Mary said, grabbing her lighter and sliding out a firecracker in her fingertips. She lit it and held it the air before slamming it on the ground with a resounding crack, and then everyone was off. There were snaps and cracks and yells coming from every direction. Dean had the best aim in town, and Sam's throws were harder than Dean thought possible. Mary caught on fast, meaning that she was like lightning with her shots. You’d feel the pop of a snapper without even knowing what hit you. Cas was slow at first, but when the first firecracker blew on his arm, he was slinging his ammo like a machine gun. He lit them faster than Sam, Mary or Dean could grab one out of their stash. He was currently hiding behind the fireworks, tossing snappers and firecrackers like nobody’s business.

“Dammit, Cas!” Dean yelled, feeling three snappers clash with his neck. Cas chuckled to himself and came out from behind the tower of caged bombs, throwing without mercy. He slammed Sam before, and even got a few on Mary (as fast as she was), but Dean had strategy to this. He felt one explode right on the back of his head to see Sam chucking his ammo and ducking behind him. Cas didn’t even turn around as his fingertips lit the string of firecrackers and whipped them right at Sam’s chest.

“No fair!” He shouted as he felt Mary sneak one on his leg. She was gone before Sam could get her back, so he settled for hitting Dean in the ass, who was trying to get one back on Cas. Mary almost got Cas, who already going back for more ammo, but she missed by a running duck, and getting distracted by Dean getting her arm.

“I’m gonna kick your ass, Dean!” She yelled, running after him as Cas got her on the side. She was flashing through the wind, trying to get payback on Dean for messing up her perfect shot before Sam flung a couple snappers at her back, getting him back with a fistful of firecracker right on his ass cheek.

“Try me!” Dean shot back finally landing one on Cas. He turned around from ambushing Sam to chucking a handful of snappers at both Mary and Dean. A few missed but most of them fell on target, the remains drifting to the Earth. Finally, Mary got one up close on Dean as he was getting the scope on Sam. 

"'Try me!'" Mary mocked, sprinting away from her unsuspecting boys. That was until they both got her in the chest at the same time. Everyone was sprinting around, hitting whoever they saw until all three Winchesters were caught by the merciless Angels that made it rain firecrackers on their backsides. Just then, an unspoken alliance was created from the desperation of revenge.

All at once, Sam, Dean, and Mary threw a string of firecrackers at him, crackling on his trench coat. That’s when he decided to show them what real warfare was. Suddenly Cas’ eyes glowed a bright blue and his ammunition rose up, pointing at each of them before they launched relentlessly. They all ducked and ran but it was no use. Every. Single. One hit them, the explosions music to Cas’ ears.

“You asshole!” Sam shouted, a dozen snappers hitting Cas’ face. Mary came behind Sam and shot firecrackers at the back of his head, earning another dozen snappers at his leg from Dean.

“It’s pronounced Angel, Sam!” Cas cheered after nailing his ass with a mix of firecrackers and snappers before Sam could even light his fuse. They threw their stuff until their last piece of ammo was used, but not before doing a take two on hit Cas with everything on deck. Sam, Mary, and Dean doing a finale of hitting Cas with all they had. They all had their fists filled with fireworks and tossed all at once, no room for Cas to take a breath between blows. Cas was stuck, smack dab in the middle of it as he made useless efforts to block himself, until he had an idea. Just to mess with them, Cas put up a shield midway through the beat down and pretended tie his shoe. They didn’t stop throwing them though, so Cas let it back down, taking his attack in stride. Although he did huddle up and block his face as he laughed.

Once every last snapper was just a piece of paper on the ground and all of the firecrackers had no gunpowder to spare, Cas laughed. Not just a light chuckle, but a double over, chest heaving laugh. Soon everyone was giggling and laughing so loud it could be heard in Heaven.There were high fives, shoves, punches, and a few menacing hugs.

“That was the best firework war I’ve ever had.” Sam sighed, now lying flat on the blanket, looking up at the sky. “Yeah. No kidding.” Dean replied while putting his hands on his knees from running around for eight minutes straight. Mary was leaning on the bomb tower, panting as well. This was the most fun they’d had in years, no shit. They should do that more often.

“That was very fun.” Cas said gravely as he smiled at Dean, and he smiled back. His tone barely changed, but it was obvious he really did have one of the best days of his life. Dean loved his smile. His thoughts couldn’t even catch up to smack him with reality as Cas started grabbing finales, and, finding the roman candles.

“You know, roman candles weren’t originally created in Roman or Italy. It was a Chinese invention that became popular in the Italian Renaissance. They actually got their name from a Roman ruler named Nero, who lit Christians as candles in his garden.” Cas reminisced, grazing his hands down the explosive.

“That’s nice.” Dean snorted, now picking up a couple of his favorites. They each laid out all the fireworks on the ground, briefly arguing about the placement before Cas let Dean have his way. They got all eighteen finales set, and all seven cannons stuffed. Cas had the roman candles lying idle to the side, his fingers aching to light them up.

“You know what, this was the worst and best idea you’ve ever had, Cas.” Dean teased, looking at the gunpowder galore, smiling mischievously. Cas snorted a little at that and waved Sam and Mary over. They were all knelt in front of all the fireworks with a lighter in each hand, Cas with his fingertips almost touching his fuses. Six lighters and two Magic Man hands. This was going to be the dumbest thing they've ever managed to do with fire.

“So, we’re really doing this?” Sam asked in disbelief, but still readying his fire, his fingers twitching on the lighters. They all looked to each other, then to Cas, who was smiling contently.

“Yes.”

“Well, nice knowing you guys.” Mary shrugged teasingly, and they all shook their heads.

“On three. One, two, THREE!” And everyone lit the green strings, Cas making sure all of them had orange ends. They were running like hell when a few of the cannons tipped over, angled on the finales and fountains. Once they blew, it was hot, colorful chaos.

“Whoa!” Sam ducked, pulling Mary down with him along with Dean. He broke out of the huddle first to see the biggest firework he’s ever seen, and Cas blocking the blows from reaching them. He was standing in the middle of the boiling rain of ash and sparks with his arms out and his head up. He had BOTH of the roman candles resting in his grip and firing to the sides.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Dean yelled, not able to keep the grin from showing. Cas showed his pearly teeth back at him, his eyes crinkling. The rings, booms, crackles and cries of the fireworks flooded around them, making it look like a gay strip club just blew up. Suddenly, Dean was being pulled into the rain by a trench coat with blue eyes and being handed one of the candles with its last rounds going off. Just like that, they were under the fire zone with sparks pouring down and bombs shooting at their command. Dean could see the colors in Cas’ eyes, the fire mixing with the ocean. Cas then cheered at the top of his lungs, tipping his head back and shouting. What else was Dean supposed do? Not Join?

“WOOHOO!”

Sam and Mary snapped their heads to the two of them sitting in the middle of it. Sam chuckled, not believing what he was seeing, and Mary got up and dragged Sam up with her, running in to where Dean and Cas were. They were both spinning around together, sparks rolling off their shoulders and grins plastered on their faces, spreading ear to ear. But the thing that caught Sam’s eye was that they were holding hands. He looked back to Mary who was having a blast and pointed his chin towards Dean and Cas. She slowed down a bit before looking back to Sam and winking. They both knew it. He shrugged and cupped his hands around his mouth, joining the others in howling at the sky. The roman candles ran their course, but the rest of the fireworks were just getting started. They matched their volume with the fireworks, belting as loud as they could go and running around in the falling kindles as Cas made orbs of flying colors and tossing them up in the air before they blew into more sparks falling on their heads. They all wrestled and played in the sizzling rain, Dean’s hand never releasing Cas’, whom squeezed tighter on Dean's. The fountains spewed, the cannons fired and the finales blasted in unison until their last. The light eventually faded down and the calls of the gunpowder ceased to the soft cascade of shells and ashes like snow.

As the noise died and the dark of the night took over as Dean realized he was gripping Cas’ palm with his. They both looked down at their fingers intertwined and dropped them to their sides as the voice came back to Dean’s head with the silence. T _hat was gay. There’s no excuse you can make for that one. Why else would you hold his hand? What are you, five? You know what, some Fireball and vodka and this will feel like it never happened. Dammit, that was the girliest thing you’ve ever done. You like women, Dean Winchester, you like women..._

Then came the other voice. But this time, it sounded familiar. It sounded like Cas. _There’s no use in hiding from yourself. No matter your attractions, it doesn’t make you any different from the man that has sacrificed himself for his family and the world. Why should you care?_ Dean turned away from Cas and cleared his throat, hoping to get some of his testosterone back. But he couldn’t help but think about that last thought. Why should he care? Did it matter that much? God, he could feel his dad turning in his grave. _Why should you care? Why should you care?_ _................._

He sat down next to Sam, who was chugging beer with Cas and Mary, and as he could smell, something stronger. _That’s more like it._ The bottle got passed to him and he took a few healthy swigs without breath. No one was surprised, though. Dean was always a heavy drinker, even when he was younger. It had its bad runs every once and a while, when someone was missing or dead, but he mostly drank to get his mind to shut up and forget. But this was a rare occasion that he drank for a celebration. He passed the bottle to Cas, expecting him to give it to Mary, but he downed about half of it, maybe more. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and offered it to Mary.

“I didn’t know you drank, Cas.” Mary more of asked than stated. Sam also eyed him for an answer as Mary took a few sips.

“Well, it doesn’t have as much of the desired effect on me, but I can still feel a dulling of my mind. And I enjoy the decadence of it.” Cas explained, feeling his thoughts buzz. They just shrugged and continued passing the drink. It was a weird surprise, but with the lives they led, it wasn't close to the weirdest.

“Huh. How much do you think it would take to make you drunk?” Sam asked, taking his turn. Cas huffed out a laugh and shook his head, remembering the last time he had that much alcohol. He stumbled into that motel with blurry vision and fuzzy intentions. He even called Sam annoying.

“Well, I’m sure you remember the last time I was inhibited. It took roughly an entire store of alcohol for it to have a human effect on my senses. But since I’m not at full power I can estimate that all the drink in the bunker would be enough to make me “hammered”, as you put it. You Winchesters do love your alcohol.” He said with his gaze fixated on the bottle.

“We’re gonna have to do that someday. Get that stick outta your ass.” Dean said smirking. Mary felt sorry for his son’s attempts at flirting, whether he knew or not. And Cas had no idea that what was standing right in front of him liked him as much as he adored her son, whether he knew it or not. But maybe some time alone would pull their heads out of their asses....

“You know what? Sam and I are gonna go back inside. I had a cool new series to show him.” Mary sighed getting up from her spot and almost dragging Sam with her. He gave her a confused look, but she got out of it by explaining a new documentary to him that he would like, and he soon went along. ON the way back down the hill, Mary explained her plan. Sam scoffed at first, but he eventually went full on board. Cas and Dean were left in silence, switching the bottle over until it was empty and letting it roll to their feet. They were both lying flat on the ground now, staring at the stars above. Neither of them spoke to each other until Dean leaned over to Cas, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Okay, today was awesome. You gotta admit.” Dean ebbed, looking into Cas’ eyes. He smiled softly and nodded, much to Dean’s delight.

“The fireworks were awesome, dude!" He finally blasted at Cas. "And you, you...” Dean trailed off at a loss for words. He didn’t even know what happened. I mean, he was an Angel so being able to do whatever he just did was probably a part of the package. But he’d never done anything like that, ever. The only thing Dean has seen him do is flap his ass where ever he wanted, smite demons like flies, shoot up people with magic Advil pm, time travel, and show off his big blue mojo juice by blowing electricity, screwing with the weather, and showing his wings in a white and blue ring. Okay, it was a lot, but it didn’t make it any less shocking that he just threw fire up in the air and make puppets with it. Or launch firecrackers and snappers at them with the power of God.

“Yes, I did have a lot of fun watching the colorful fire. More than I thought I would. It’s oddly aesthetic and euphoric.” Cas said in his fancy voice that Dean could listen to for hours. It was more than confusing to Dean, though.

“But you just... With the... and...” Dean didn’t know how to put it into words. He had no idea what Cas did. Whatever it was, it was amazing. Dean was stumbling on his words, but Cas answered for him.

“I’m not sure. I just felt so entranced by it and led it to imagination. I’ve never had these emotions before, but I think I’m starting to understand them. I enjoy them." Cas said, now coming to a new conclusion. "Huh. It’s funny isn’t it? An Angel playing with fireworks?” Cas gleamed to himself, looking up to Dean. He was dozing off in the conversation. The sound of his voice and the way he spoke just made him float. He never let himself go like this, but tonight he just let the river of mooey gooey feelings take him away. Cas suddenly got up and grabbed one of the sparklers from the yellow bag abandoned on the ground and came back to sit down, inches away from Dean. 

"Do you want to see it again?” Cas asked, his blue eyes swirling with darkness and light, glowing in the light of the stars. Dean couldn’t do anything but nod, and Cas lit the sparkler with a concentrated heat emitting from his fingertips. The rod sparked to life with colorful, vivid kindles which Cas tipped into his hand, making an orb of the light. He let it rise from his hand as it started to form. First it was a Giraffe, walking around their heads until it reshaped into a fox, sneaking behind Dean’s neck. It broke up into a dozen fish swarming the air up, down, and around. They all blended together into a Gorilla, pounding the ground and roaring to the clouds until it shrunk down into a snake, bent with the colors of the rainbow. Cas let it sit in his palm before he leaned in closer to Dean.

“Hold out your hand.” He whispered, twirling the sparks to his will. Dean obeyed and put out his arm, his freckled skin glowing in the light of the sparks. Cas took Dean's hand with his and slid his palm against Dean’s, making a smear of smoky blue. It was tingling on his skin with a warm, yet cool heat. It was hard to explain the feeling of Angel Grace on your skin. Cas pointed the sparkler towards Dean’s hand and made the fire fall to his palm. Dean flinched the smallest bit, wanting to brush it off his body before it burned. But he sat witness to see that it was sitting harmlessly in his grasp.

“Think of something, Dean.” Cas instructed, letting the snake slither in the air. Dean shut his eyes tight and made the first thing that popped in his head. A big, purple bear emerged from the sparks and strode around on nothing. Dean laughed in shock as he quickly thought of something else. He then made a ferret play in his palm, pawing its way next to Cas’ face. He smiled and made his snake into another ferret, watching them play and mingle in the air. Dean had another idea show and smiled to himself as he split up his ferret to make a bunch of buzzing bumble bees surrounding Cas, making him smile as he let them sit on his body. Now that, that smile was something else. It was a smile of pure, loving joy. It was peaceful and playful. He let the bees rest on his fingers one last time before they dimmed to the night.

It was again silent, nothing but their breath filling the void. Now that Dean started to realize how close he was to Cas, the voice panicked again. B _ack up, back up, back up! You think a straight guy would do this? There’s no way. Now you better grab your masculinity back. You like women, Dean Winchester, you like women..._ It started to yell in his thoughts, reminding him of his boundaries that he was effortlessly breaking. Then Cas’ voice came back, calming him with a blue peace. _You can like both. You’re still the same man that saved the world and his family, multiple times. This doesn’t change you. You’re still you. Why does it matter? Why should you care? Why should you care?_

_........_

It echoed louder, masking everything else. Why should he care? Why does it matter? Dean thought about that. Really thought about it this time. He... He had no idea why it mattered. Because he told himself it did. That was it. Every other reason he thought was logical started to seem silly, idiotic. Cas was mere inches away, glowing in the starlight and his soft lips a whisper from being his. He could see the outlines of his collarbones, and his hair looked soft with his rough stubble. He could trace the tones of his jawlines, and he found himself flat out drooling at the built tones of his body. Cas could be his, all his if he just made one simple movement. _But what if he didn’t want to be?_ He thought, his heart sinking. Now Dean had a whole new set of excuses.

Before Dean could get into another argument with himself, Cas huffed a groan and leaned in to press his lips up against him, soft and sweet. Just like that, Dean’s head went silent. Like a switch, his brain was shut off and all he could acknowledge was that Cas’ lips were on his. Nothing could stop him now, nothing. After the shock that came with processing that this was actually happening, Dean reciprocated the kiss, tilting his head and cupping Cas’ face. He responded in kind as he slid his tongue against the seam of Dean’s lips, making him moan oh so softly. Just from his mouth. No clothes were removed, and there was no other 'enhancement' urging the noise. Just a kiss, made him moan. Dean could now hear a chanting in his head. _I told you so, I told you so...._ And it was right. Dean thought it would feel wrong, or even numb, but it didn’t. He liked the scrape of stubble against his own, he liked the firm body that was pressed against his. Every reason that he thought about why this would be wrong made it feel even more right. Cas parted for a moment, smirking at Dean.

“I told you so.” He bragged. Everything started to slip in place at that moment, Dean jolting up straight.

“Wait, that was you?!” He shouted in surprise, looking bewildered at Cas. He chuckled and nodded, admitting guilty. But this didn’t make sense. Why now?

“Wha...”

“Mary had felt inclined to tell me she knew that you had particular emotions towards me, and that’s when I could hear your thoughts clearly. You were thinking very loud, after all.” Cas shrugged, feeling a tightening in his stomach. Nerves, isn’t it? He remembered them from a few times before and recognized the feeling build in his gut, but this time it felt different.

“I was ‘thinking loudly’? What the hell does that mean?” Dean sighed, lightly chuckling at the odd sentence.

“Well, it’s a simple neurological frequency that I can sense from your brain activity. It’s from the electrical signals in deciphering your neurons-” Dean suddenly pulls Castiel into him, straddling his lap whilst coaxing his tongue at his lips, stuck to him.

“Shut up and kiss me.” Dean growled, smirking up at Cas. Something he never thought he’d say to anyone. It was never like this before with anyone else he'd shack up with. It was never anything more with his hook ups. It was always simple with one-night stands. Almost like a business interaction. It was an 'I get something, you get something, and we walk' sort of thing. But he could never think of leaving from Cas. He needed him. He loved him. Holy shit, he _loved_ him.

______________________________________________________________________________

Cas scoffed back at him, but happily complied, sucking down his neck and leaving red welts as he went. Dean grasped at his hair as he panted, getting the best ride of his life. He crawled his hands up Cas’ shirt, tracing his hands up his toned chest. He wasn’t ripped or completely stacked like one of those insanely intense body builders, but he had a firm presence there, along with a velvety softness. Dean needed more, he thought suddenly, getting impatient. He hastily started to unbutton Cas’ shirt, his hands slightly shaking.  _Hah, looks like squirrel is more squirrely than he thought._ Cas felt this when Dean finished the last button and looked down to his hands, concerned.

“You’re shivering, Dean.” Cas pointed out to no one in particular, grasping his hands. Dean chuckled to himself which layered Cas’ concern with confusion.

“Cas, I’m fine. I just... need you." Dean realized with a woeful tone "I've never needed someone like this. This much.” Dean panted, explaining to Cas. Actually, he was starting to understand in the moment how much he needed his Angel. Now that he let himself need, he started to notice how much he’d buried when he let them free from their false grave. And just like that, Cas was back on him, Dean breathing life into his body with each open-mouthed kiss. Cas couldn’t slow himself, though he didn't try. He knew that Dean needed him, more than anyone else. He was needed. That was something he struggled with ever since he came to Earth. Other than his powers, his existence was overall brushed off. Until now. Now he started to notice that he needed his hunter, too. Dean almost ripped Cas’ shirt off, hearing some threads snap. But they didn’t care. Cas tore Dean’s shirt over his head and tossed it behind them to an unknown destination. Their chests were already misted with sweat, spots of spit marking Dean’s neck and Cas’.

“'I don’t sweat under any circumstances'.” Dean mocked in a low, grisly voice in his best and worst Castiel impression. Cas rounded his head in laughter for a short second, then rolled on top of Dean without warning. If things were heated before, it was about ten times better when Cass rolled against Dean’s next to painful hardness. And Dean fucking whimpered, sending a wave of nerves down Cas’ spine. Cas was practically a virgin. An innocent, virgin Angel and he made Dean whimper. Nuh uh. He wasn’t letting Cas get away without payback, not that he didn’t feel every nerve in his body set fire when Cas made him do it again.

Dean rolled them over, now on top of Castiel as he nipped his way downward with wet, red spots, marking up his Angel with every kiss. He swirled his tongue around his nipple and heard Cas moan as he clutched Dean’s hair for something, anything to hold onto. He couldn’t help but smirk above his heaving chest and suck on them. He bit, licked and sucked until Cas tugged his head up to meet his gaze. Cas’ eyes were swallowed by lust and his cheeks pink with a layer of sweat, and Dean was sure he looked the same. He flipped them back mover, and Cas crawled down Dean’s body until he got to his belt. He swiftly undid the buckle and flung it behind him as he continued to drag off Dean’s pants, along with his underwear. He kicked them down from Dean’s ankles after licking his way back up as he could hear Dean’s heart thrumming. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of Dean’s body. Musty, and coated in leather, flannel, and rock salt. As well as his classic cologne. But there was something else that reached his senses, but couldn't put his finger on. It was just... Him.

“You... How did you...” Dean panted, not able to think straight. Cas was acting like a porn star and Dean was losing the ability to breathe. No matter how much oxygen he sucked in, it was never enough to fill his lungs as Cas laid his mouth down on him. He needed more. He needed to see more, hear more, feel more, taste more. More, more more.....

Dean reached his hands down to Cas’ belt and whipped it off, throwing it in annoyance that Cas wasn’t naked. Yet. Cas looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow and a fleck in his eye. One that was treading on dangerous lust. One that was animistic. Dean winked back and tore off Cas’ pants as far as he could, Cas finishing the deed. They were both naked, nothing separating them. Cas let his head down, latching his mouth to Dean’s and grinding against him, groaning from the sensation as Dean swallowed the sounds they made. Cas established a pace, rolling with tingling, arousing agony. Dean thrust with him and dug his nails into Cas’ back as something to hold on to as he drowned in pleasure.

“Cas- Ah- Cas!” He moaned, not being able to keep his eyes open. It was overwhelming, the feeling of Cas thrusting relentlessly, sucking and nipping everywhere he could reach. He felt like a teenager again, the sensations of everything making him drunk. You know, if Dean had been this riled up a few years ago, he would have scolded himself for his short stamina or joke about him being overly sensitive, but he could help it now. And he was more than fine with it. He slid his hand down and grasped both of their cocks and pumped them with Cas’ thrusts, almost seeing Cas come undone.

“Holy shit-” Cas chocked, his head dropping with a deep, low groan, following Dean’s grunt as he grit his teeth. They went faster, needing everything they had when they’re lips fused in a sloppy kiss. Dean sucked Cas’ bottom lip between his teeth, teasing the tip before he whispered in his ear. Come, Cas.

“Fuck, Dean!” Cas moaned with an outright shout, painting their stomachs with a hot white as his eyes shone a bright blue. He felt himself tremble, Dean’s hands holding him up. A few thrusts and Cas sucking on his pulse point while pumping him tightly had Dean almost screaming, singing with pleasure as his blood boiled and she shot his load between them, crying out through the warm pleasure. They thrusted through the pleasure until they floated back to a state of reality that just seemed... fluffy. Warm, and peaceful. It felt like a damn dream. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cas collapsed next to Dean, their panting in sync as they watched the stars. It was like fairytale land. Dean had everything he wanted. A home with his family and friends with beer commercial moments... And Cas. He had Cas. And Cas had him. It felt weird to think it, but it felt familiar and new at the same time. This was reality? Really? Cas thought to himself. Of all the things he could have imagined for his future, falling in love with humanity, falling in bed with a human, and hunting the supernatural with a family on Earth would have never come to mind. It didn’t process in his mind that he was actually happy. Really, truly, happy.

“We have to do that again sometime.” Dean sighed happily, a silly grin on his face that Cas shared. Cas nodded in more than agreement as he snapped his fingers, making them good as new. Dean raised an eyebrow to Cas, who just winked in turn before grabbing their clothes, tossing Dean’s on his lap. _Angels, man._

Dean buttoned Cas’ shirt and Cas combed through his hair, brushing away the grass buried in his hair. They both sat knee to knee fully dressed, just looking at each other. They caressed jaws, filed through hair and let fingertips explore skin. It sort of just fell into place. Even though neither of them has done this, they’ve really been together for years without knowing it. Nothing was tense, just calm. They stayed like that for a while, Cas now sitting in Dean’s lap, laying his love down soft and sweet.

“We should probably get back inside. They’ll be wondering where we are. And what we’re doing.” Dean huffed in mocked dread, helping each other up before Dean kissed him briefly. Then, they were on their way back inside, Dean nudging Cas earning himself a shove back with a laugh. This is what peace feels like, they thought. They found Sam and Mary sitting in the living room watching some bullshit about history when they turned their heads to face them. It was almost comical. The second they entered the room Mary knew that they had “settled” things. The tension melted from them, leaving a void of ease.

“What took you so long?” Mary asked, seemingly innocent as she took a sip of her beer.

“Yeah, what’d you do?” Sam asked with his mom, smirking to himself. Cas and Dean were at a loss for words for a moment, not knowing what to say. Until Mary nodded to Cas, letting him know she already knew.

“Dean and I just set a few things straight.” Cas said affirmatively, nodding to Dean, who looked surprised at his sudden Zen. That’s when Sam couldn’t help but choke on his beer, trying to keep his amusement in his chest.

“What?” Dean asked sharply, already annoyed with his brother.

“It’s just...” Sam scoffed to himself, keeping himself as contained as he could manage. “STRAIGHT! Ha!” Sam screamed in laughter, slapping his knee and doubled over, letting it all out with tears in his eyes. Mary tried to hold back at first, but couldn’t help but laugh along, patting her son on the back for best joke ever. “Yeah, yeah...” Dean huffed and rolled his eyes, grabbing some leftover pie with Cas then heading to his room to Netflix and chill. They could still hear them belting in the living room when they loaded up a movie. _Damn assholes_ , Dean thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you guys think! I would love some constructive criticism and some tips! I hope you like it!


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